ABSTRACT

The continuing development and application of new techniques has resulted in a huge expansion of knowledge of the diversity of marine microbes, their structure and functions, and their roles in ecology and ocean processes. It is essential for the student to appreciate the scope of available methods and their underlying principles, in order to understand how they are applied in research. The overall goal of microbial ecology is to understand how cells, populations, and communities of microbes interact with each other and with their environment. A device called the Continuous Plankton Recorder invented by Alister Hardy in 1931 is designed to be towed by ships at a depth of 5–10 m. Its robust casing and mechanical structure mean that it is highly reliable and can be towed from merchant ships on regular routes. Robotics and artificial intelligence systems are increasingly used in oceanographic research, but there is no replacement for a human presence to explore the deep sea.